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Topic: Dangers of the Toxin Melamine Found in Food (Read 10768 times)

The toxin melamine found in foods, especially baby formula, has been a major concernlately. The melamine scandal has caused contamination of pet food and human foodsmade with powdered milk. A few have died and tens of thousands are sick.

The potentially deadly toxin is a white powder, looks like powdered milk, is cheaperthan powdered milk. Powdered milk coming out of China has been laced with it . Whileglycomics teaches us that certain sugars are beneficial in removing toxins, we are toexpose and halt toxins from ever entering the human body to the best of our abilities.Short cuts in food production and marketing for sake of economics without regard forhuman life is the very reason we are in our health crisis. In one of my trips to India, Iwas told about how a worker had chipped little white rocks into rice size pieces to addto the rice to make it weigh more. My grandfather back in the early 1900s owned acountry store. He told the story of some boys who bought from him some buckshot tofed to their geese to make them weigh more so they could sell them to my grandfather.The finger on the scale will destroy a society.

When toxins are intentionally added to food, that is criminal. But, if that toxin looks likeand even has a molecular structure that fools the scientists, it can slip through normaldetection. I have long contended that “identical molecules” can be different. A classicexample, of course, is carbon. Coal/graphite and diamond are carbon, but each hasdifferent crystal structure. The structure, the bond, though it be slight, renders themolecule to have a totally different function. The angle of the bond, the positive ornegative ion charge and the strength of that charge, and many factors concerning thatenvironment yet to be discovered and understood, play roles in the functionality ofmolecules.

Following the articles on melamine in milk by David Bradley, Huang Yuanxi, Zhang Jing,Edward Wong, and others, you will be able to review how melamine tricked thescientists. Much of this extensive report comes out of China.

Note: You can read and view graphics and pictures this posting In The NEWS Section under TOXINS at www.endowmentmed.orgIn The NEWS Section is accessable from the top navigation bar on the Home Page.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Melamine in MilkSeveral thousand babies in China became ill, having suffered acute kidney failure, withseveral fatalities, having been fed formula milk contaminated with the industrialchemical melamine. The toll is far higher than was previously admitted by the Chineseauthorities, according to the BBC. According to David Bradley there is a long list ofmelamine contaminated products.

Allegedly, someone in the supply change, milk supplier or manufacturer, was addingmelamine to the milk formula to artificially inflate the reading for protein levels. Formulamilk was not until now tested for melamine, because regulators did not suspect thisingredient might be added. But, it turns out that melamine in the food supply is China’sbig open secret.

So, what is melamine and how does it spoof the protein levels in baby formula milk?

Melamine is a compound, a base with chemical formula C3H6N6. Officially it is 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine in the IUPAC nomenclature system (CAS #108-78-1). It is has amolecular mass of just over 126, forms a white, crystalline powder, and is only slightlysoluble in water. It is used in fire retardants in polymer resins because its high nitrogencontent is released as flame-stifling nitrogen gas when the compound is burned orcharred.

Indeed, it is this high nitrogen level - 66% nitrogen by mass - in melamine that gives itthe analytical characteristics of protein molecules. Melamine can also be described as atrimer of cyanamide, three cyanamide units joined in a ring. It is described as beingharmful according to its MSDS sheet: “Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbedthrough the skin. Chronic exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage. Eye,skin and respiratory irritant.” Not something you would want in your infant’s milk.However, that said, the toxic dose is rather high, on a par with common table salt withan LD50 of more than 3 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Previously, melamine was found in exported pet food last year and blamed for killingthousands of cats and dogs in the US. Bloomberg also reports that analysis of samplesof ice cream produced by Yili have also revealed the presence of melamine.

Regardless of crushing inflation and legislative pressure, there is no excuse for theadulteration of food in this way. Diluting a product, the previous approach, is highlyunethical and can lead to malnutrition, but straight poisoning is tantamount infanticide.This is also not the first time that Chinese consumers have faced problems with milkpowder. In 2004, more than a dozen children died having been fed formula with minimalnutritional content.

The Beijinger milk has been withdrawn from the likes of Starbucks as it emerges thatregular milk has been tainted, including that produced by Olympic sponsor Yili.However, milk from more than 400 companies including Sanyuan and Nestle havetested negative for melamine and are presumably perfectly safe to drink.

But, if melamine has low toxicity (hat tip to commenter Barney) then what is it that haspoisoned thousands of babies in China and why has this scandal occurred? Well,LD50, the toxic dose issue, tells us something about acute exposure not the apparentsix-months’ worth of accumulated exposure these babies have suffered. Chronicexposure to melamine can lead to bladder or kidney stones and even bladder cancerand as we have learned, acute kidney failure.

The melamine in milk headlines also ignore the fact that the compound added to themilk may not be pure. There is no reason to imagine that those unscrupulous enough toadd a toxic compound to baby formula milk would worry about contaminants, such ascyanuric acid, that might be found in the raw material. Indeed, even if melamine toxicitywere not an issue and truly was an inert substance added to spike the protein readingsin quality control tests, then any one of the impurities associated with rough melaminemanufacture may be a major cause for concern.

http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.htmlBy David Bradley Sep 17, 2008Sciencebase will be keeping you updated on the melamine scandal with opinion fromthe experts and the latest news on the story as it unfolds. To stay informed, be sure tosubscribe for free to the newsfeed to receive the latest updates on this story via RSS oremail.- - - - - - - - - - - - -The following information a friend sent me is very informative but not referenced. Thisinformation with pictures and graphs were made outside of the US. JCSWhat is Melamine use for?

It is an industrial chemical use in the production of melawares.It is also used in home decoration. ' US resistant board'Do you understand? Melamine is use in industrial production & it cannot be eaten.

2.Why is Melamine added in milk powder?The most important nutrient in milk is protein. And Melamine has the same protein thatcontains 'NITROGEN'Adding Melamine in milk reduces milk content and it is cheaper than milk so it lowerscapitalization. It can give the business man more profit!Below is Melamine; doesn't it look like milk?It doesn't have any smell, so cannot be detected.

3.When was it discovered?Year 2007, US cats and dogs died suddenly, they found that pet food from Chinacontains Melamine.Starting 2008, In China , an abnormal increase in infant cases of kidney stones.August 2008 China Sanlu Milk Powder tested with MelamineSept. 2008, New Zealand gov't ask China to check this problemSept. 21, 2008, lots of food products in Taiwan tested with Melamine

4.What happens when Melamine is digested?Melamine remains inside the kidney. It forms into stones blocking the tubes.Pain will be eminent and person cannot urinate. Kidney will then swell.Although surgery can remove the stones, but it will cause irreversible kidney damage.It can lead to loss of kidney function and will require kidney dialysis or lead to deathbecause of uremia.

What is dialysis? In fact, it should be called 'blood washing'; it is filtering all of the body'sblood into the machine and then go back to the body.

The whole process takes 4 hours and it is necessary to dialysis once for every 3 daysfor the rest of your life.Here is a dialysis center (pictures in NEWS Section at www.endowmentmed.org)Large dialysis centerA small hole is required in the arm to insert the sub-dialysis catheter.Why is it more serious in babies? Because the kidney is very small and they drink a lotof milk powder.Here is a baby undergoing dialysis.China currenty has 13,000 infants hospitalizedIt does not matter how much a human being took Melamine. The important point is 'Itcannot be EATEN!'

5.What are the foods to be avoided?Foods that contain dairy products should be avoided.Remember: Foods with creamer or milk should be avoided.

6.Which companies are affected?Hereunder are the companies affected with Melamine.

7.What do we do next?Avoid the above foods for at least six months.If you have a snack bar, restaurant or coffee shops, stop selling dairy products for themeantime.

If you have infants at home, change to mother's milk or find other substitutes.Finally, share this information with friends so they will understand the risk of milkpoisoning.

The whole world is scared of China made 'black hearted goods'. Can you differentiatewhich one is made in the USA , Philippines , Taiwan or China ? Let me tell you how...the first 3 digits of the barcode is the country code wherein the product was made.Sample all barcodes that start with 690.691.692 until 695 are all MADE IN CHINA.471 is Made in Taiwan

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Editor’s comment and disclaimer: Bar codes used in the United States are almost exclusively based on the Universal Product Code, type A (UPC-A) standard, not the EAN-13 standard, consequently most buyers do not see the three-digit prefixes that indicate the code’s point of origin. To determine the country of origin of a product sold in the U.S., the consumer should look for “Made in ________” labeling on the package.

The EAN number indicates which numbering organization allocated the bank of numbers to the company. Example: A packaging company may have headquarters in one country. However, the products may be manufactured in another country. So while 471 may indicate Taiwan, that indicates more about where the bar codes were purchased, or where the companies headquarters are than actually where the raw materials originated.

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This is our human right to know, but the government and related departments nevereducate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products 'Madein China', so they don't show from which country it is made.

Reliable and sensitive: FDA recommends SeQuantTM ZIC®-HILIC from MerckRecently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it hasdeveloped a method for simultaneously detecting residues of melamine and cyanuricacid in infant formula using the chromatography column SeQuantTM ZIC®-HILIC fromMerck. The FDA regulates, among other things, the safety of foods in the U.S.Recommendations of the FDA receive global attention and are often adopted bynational authorities in other countries.

The proposed method is a variant of liquid chromatography (hydrophilic liquidchromatography, HILIC) combined with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). With the use ofSeQuantTM ZIC®-HILIC, even minute quantities of melamine and cyanuric acid can beprecisely separated and detected. The limits of quantification and confirmation are 0.25μg/g for both analytes. Thus, using SeQuantTM ZIC®-HILIC from Merck, the quality ofinfant formula can be reliably tested.

Simultaneous detection of melamine and cyanuric

The ZIC®-HILIC method proposed by the FDA offers a decisive advantage overalternative measurement methods: Infant formula contaminated with melamine mayalso contain other toxic triazine compounds such as cyanuric acid, which in combinationwith melamine can intensify the negative effects of the contaminated food. Bysimultaneously determining and confirming melamine and cyanuric acid in powderedmilk-based infant formula, the proposed procedure considerably increases food safety.More about the FDA method for detecting melamine and other substances in infantformula can be found at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/lib4421.html.- - - - - - - - - - - - -China announces permissible levels of melamine in milk

By Edward WongPublished: October 8, 2008

BEIJING: The Chinese Health Ministry announced on Wednesday new limits set by thegovernment on the amount of the industrial chemical melamine to be permitted in dairyproducts, but it refused to provide updated statistics on the number of people who havedied or fallen ill from ingesting melamine-tainted dairy products.

The announcement of the new limits is the latest move by the government to try torebuild consumer confidence after it was revealed last month that at least three babieshad died and 53,000 children had fallen ill from drinking milk products tainted withmelamine.

Government officials say the melamine was added to milk products by suppliers toartificially boost protein count in milk that had been diluted. Babies and children whoregularly drink the tainted milk can develop kidney stones after several months.On Wednesday, Health Ministry officials said at a news conference that traces ofmelamine are found in many food products because melamine is used to make plastic,and can seep into food from packaging. A certain amount of melamine can betolerated, they said.

The government has now set melamine limits at one milligram per kilogram of infantformula and 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of liquid milk, milk powder and food productsthat contain more than 15 percent milk. Any dairy products with higher levels arebanned. The news limits are supported by assessments by the Hong Kong government,the World Health Organization and the United Nations, the officials said.

When asked what the previous standards were, the officials declined to give an answerand implied that there had been no limits before the milk scandal erupted last month.Wang Xuening, the deputy chief of the ministry's health inspection and supervisiondepartment, said the new limits act as guidance for how much unintentional seepage ofmelamine into food can be permitted by inspectors.

People who purposefully add melamine to food will be prosecuted, he said."Melamine is neither a raw food material nor a food additive," he said. "Deliberatelyadding the chemical to food items is prohibited. Once such cases are spotted, they willbe investigated according to law."

The officials were asked by reporters to give updated statistics on the number of peoplemade sick by tainted food, but a ministry spokesman, Deng Haihua, said he could notdo that at the news conference. Later, a ministry employee said by telephone that thestatistics were not authorized for release.

In late September, the ministry reported the figures on the deaths and illnesses fromdrinking tainted milk products. At the time, 13,000 children were hospitalized, it said.Since then, the government has not released any new statistics.

Before that announcement, Xinhua, the official news agency, reported that an infant inthe western region of Xinjiang had died from melamine ingestion, but the ministry hasnot confirmed it. The latest news reports from Xinhua put the number of deaths atthree.

A scan by The New York Times of statistics on the Web sites or official news mediaoutlets of eight of China's more than 30 provinces and provincial-level administrativeareas shows that in those eight territories, about 52,000 people have fallen ill fromtainted milk. Some of the numbers were published in early October and others in lateSeptember. Extrapolating from those statistics, the number sickened across all of Chinawould be much higher than the 53,000 announced by the Health Ministry in lateSeptember.

Two lawyers representing separate cases of one-year-old children from HenanProvince who fell ill said by telephone on Wednesday that they were awaiting word onwhether local courts would hear their cases.

One lawyer, Chang Boyang, said lawyers in Henan had been told they should informthe government if they represent any clients in the milk scandal, which amounts to acertain level of "psychological pressure," but that there was no overt ban on working onthe cases. "We are told to report to them if anyone decides to handle a milk powdercase," he said. "But they never said we can't do it."